Oregon State University

OAC Home Economics Department at Multnomah Hotel in Portland, 1920

The university's roots date back to 1856, when it was originally founded as a primary and preparatory community school - known as Corvallis Academy. The first teacher and principal at the school was John Wesley Johnson, a famous historical figure in Oregon higher education. After receiving his secondary education in Corvallis and then managing the academy, Johnson attended Yale University. He later went on to play an instrumental role in the early development of other Oregon colleges.[9] Within a decade, college level coursework was added to the curriculum, making Corvallis Academy the first school of its type in the region and a magnet for Oregon's young adults seeking a profession.[10] The university's name changed a total of eleven times, mostly up until the 1920s. Like many of today's land-grant colleges and universities, name changes were common during this period and helped schools better align themselves with some of the largest available grants in agricultural research.[11] [12] [13]

Corvallis area Freemasons played a leading role in developing the early school. Several of the university's largest buildings are named after these early founders.[15][16] The school offered its first college-level curriculum in 1865, under the administration of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

On August 22, 1868, official articles of incorporation were filed for Corvallis College. October 27, 1868, is known as OSU Charter Day. The Oregon Legislative Assembly designated Corvallis College as the "agricultural college of the state of Oregon" and the recipient of the Land Grant. Acceptance of this grant required the college to comply with the requirements set forth in the Morrill Land-Grant Acts and the name of the school was changed to Corvallis State Agricultural College. The school was then authorized to grant the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees. The first graduating class was in 1870, granting Bachelor of Arts degrees. The school's name changed several times in the early years as its mission quickly broadened.[17]

The Oregon Unification Bill was passed in 1929 by the Legislative Assembly, which placed the school under the oversight of the newly formed Oregon State Board of Higher Education. A doctoral in education was first offered in the early 1930s, with the conferral of four Doctor of Philosophy degrees in 1935. This year also saw the creation of the first summer session. The growing diversity in degree programs led to another name change in 1937, when the college became Oregon State College.[18]

The university's current title, Oregon State University, was adopted on March 6, 1961, by a legislative act signed into law by Governor Mark Hatfield.[19] Not unlike most American universities and colleges, OSU actively works to diversify its faculty and staff. In 1993, OSU reported it was having difficulties retaining and hiring minority faculty members. Only 150 out of 2,284 faculty members were black, Native American, Asian, or Hispanic.[20] In response, the school president and vice president introduced a hiring initiative to promote and enhance diversity. The initiative recognizes the compelling need to build a welcoming and inclusive university community and the direct relationship between excellence and diversity.[21] In 2007, Scott Reed was named the Vice Provost for Outreach and Engagement as OSU Extension Service and OSU Ecampus were aligned under this new division. Ecampus delivers OSU degree programs and courses online and at a distance to students worldwide.

Aerial view of Memorial Union Quad

Memorial Union

The 420-acre (170 ha) main campus is located in Corvallis, in the Willamette Valley. In 1994, OSU was rated the safest campus in the Pac-10 in a study of universities.[22] In September 2008, much of the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis was designated the Oregon State University Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places.[23] It is the only college or university campus in Oregon to have a historic district designation. The effort to have the John Charles Olmsted-designed campus listed on the National Register took two years.[24][25]

OSU recently completed the construction of a branch campus located in Bend. This new branch campus is called OSU-Cascades and offers students living in the central region of the state an opportunity to attend select classes at a campus location closer to their homes.[26]

Oregon State offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs made up from a selection of over 1,500 online courses in more than 110 subject areas.[27] OSU's online bachelor's degree programs ranked 4th in the United States by US News & World Report in 2021 and have ranked within the top 10 since 2013.[28][29] These programs and courses are developed by OSU faculty and delivered online by Oregon State University Ecampus. Students who pursue an education online with Oregon State earn the same diploma and transcript as the university's on-campus students.[30]

The academic programs are divided among twelve colleges plus the graduate school, each with a dean responsible for all faculty, staff, students and academic programs. Colleges are divided either into departments administered by a department head/chair or schools administered by a director who oversees program coordinators. Each school or department is responsible for academic programs leading to degrees, certificates, options or minors.

OSU's Beta Campanile Tower

OSU Extension Service program is a section for non-students and adult education established on July 24, 1911[31] under the leadership of Vice-Provost Scott Reed (OSU Extension Service Administration)[32] OSU Extensions, Combined Experiment & Extension Centers, Branch Experiment Stations, and Open Campus are located in several counties.[33] Programs include 4-H Youth Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources (includes OSU Master Gardener, Metro Master Gardener[34]), Family and Community Health/SNAP-Ed, and Forestry and Natural Resources.

Together with university leaders, the OSU Foundation publicly launched Oregon State's first comprehensive fundraising campaign, The Campaign for OSU, on October 26, 2007, with a goal of $625 million.[35] Donors exceeded the goal in October 2010 nearly a year ahead of schedule, resulting in a goal increase to $850 million. In March 2012 the goal was raised to $1 billion.[36] At OSU's annual State of the University address in Portland on January 31, 2014, President Edward J. Ray announced that campaign contributions had passed $1 billion, putting Oregon State in a group of 35 public universities to cross the billion-dollar fundraising mark and one of only two organizations in the Pacific Northwest to reach the $1 billion campaign milestone.[37][38][39] The Campaign for OSU concluded on December 31, 2014, with more than $1.1 billion from 106,000 donors.[40]

The Oregon State University Foundation is a nonprofit organization chartered to raise and administer private funds in support of the university's education, research and outreach, governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees.[41] It holds total net assets exceeding $744 million[42] and manages the majority portion of the university's composite endowment, valued at more than $596 million (June 30, 2018).[43]

Weatherford Hall, 2009

Oregon State has varied, and numerous,[44] partnership agreements with international institutions that include James Cook University in Australia, the University of Forestry in Bulgaria, Lincoln University in New Zealand and India's Gokula Education Foundation[45] founded by Indian industrialist M. S. Ramaiah.

Admission to Oregon State is rated "selective" by U.S. News & World Report.[46] In fall 2019, total student enrollment was 31,719,[3] the largest among all Oregon universities.

For Fall 2015, OSU received 14,058 freshmen applications; 11,016 were admitted (78.4%) and 3,593 enrolled.[47] The average high school grade point average (GPA) of the enrolled freshmen was 3.58, while the middle 50% range of SAT scores were 480-610 for critical reading, 490-630 for math, and 470-590 for writing.[47] The middle 50% range of the ACT Composite score was 21-28.[47]

OSU has more majors, minors and special programs than any other university or college in Oregon.[52]

Research has played a central role in the university's overall operations for much of its history.[53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62] Most of OSU's research continues at the Corvallis campus, but an increasing number of endeavors are underway at various locations throughout the state and abroad. Current research facilities, beyond the campus, include the John L. Fryer Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory in Corvallis.,[63] the Seafood Laboratory in Astoria and the Food Innovation Laboratory in Portland.[64]

An OSU marine technician at Hatfield Marine Science Center prepares a surface mooring

The university's College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) operates several laboratories, including the Hatfield Marine Science Center and multiple oceanographic research vessels based in Newport.[65] CEOAS is now co-leading the largest ocean science project in U.S. history, the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI). The OOI features a fleet of undersea gliders at six sites in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans with multiple observation platforms.[66] CEOAS is also leading the design and construction of the next class of ocean-going research vessels for the National Science Foundation, which will be the largest grant or contract ever received by any university in Oregon.[67] OSU also manages nearly 11,250 acres (4,550 ha) of forest land, which includes the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest.[68]

Irish Bend Covered Bridge - The west side of campus is dedicated, primarily, to agricultural research. It is also home to this historic landmark.

The 2005 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education recognized Oregon State as a "comprehensive doctoral with medical/veterinary" university. This is one of only three such universities in the Pacific Northwest to be classified in this category. In 2006, Carnegie also recognized the university as having "very high research activity," which makes OSU the only university in Oregon to attain these combined classifications.[69]

The National Sea Grant College Program was founded in the 1960s. OSU is one of the original four Sea Grant Colleges selected in 1971.[70]

In 1967 the Radiation Center was constructed at the edge of campus, housing a 1.1 MW TRIGA Mark II Research Reactor. The reactor is equipped to utilize Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) for fuel. Rankings published by U.S. News & World Report in 2008 placed Oregon State eighth in the nation in graduate nuclear engineering.

OSU was one of the early members of the federal Space Grant program.[71] Designated in 1991, the additional grant program made Oregon State one of only 13 schools in the United States to serve as a combined Land Grant, Sea Grant and Space Grant university. Most recently, OSU was designated as a federal Sun Grant institution. The designation, made in 2003, now makes Oregon State one of only three such universities (the others being Cornell University and Penn State) and the first of two public institutions with all four designations (the other being Penn State).

In 2001, the university's Wave Research Laboratory was designated by the National Science Foundation as a site for tsunami research under the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation. The O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory is on the edge of the campus and is one of the largest and most sophisticated laboratories for education, research and testing in coastal, ocean and related areas in the world.[72]

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences funds two research centers at Oregon State University. The Environmental Health Sciences Center[73] has been funded continually since 1969 and the Superfund Research Center[74] is a newer center that started funding in 2009.

OSU administers the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, a United States Forest Service facility dedicated to forestry and ecology research. The Andrews Forest is a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve.

OSU's Open Source Lab is a nonprofit that was founded in 2003 and is funded in part by corporate sponsors that include Facebook, Google, and IBM.[75][76][77] The organization's goal is to advance open source technology, and it hires and trains OSU students in software development and operations for large-scale IT projects. The lab hosts a number of projects, including a contract with the Linux Foundation.[75][78]

Construction of the Oregon Agricultural College Armory, known today as McAlexander Fieldhouse, was completed in 1910.

Oregon State University is one of the few universities to have ROTC detachments for each branch of the US Military. Oregon State University Army ROTC is a distinguished program and has been taught regularly since 1873. The so-called Beaver Battalion is known as the West Point of the West for producing more commissioned officers than any other non-military school during World War II.[79] It is located in McAlexander Fieldhouse, named after General Ulysses G. McAlexander, the former commander of Army ROTC.

After the Second World War ended in 1945, a Department of Naval Science was added at Oregon State. Providing officer training for the both the US Navy and the US Marine Corps, it is now one of the largest in the nation and has earned the unofficial title "Naval Academy of the Northwest."[80] On July 1, 1949, the US Army Air Corps training branch became a separate officer training unit now known as Aerospace Science. The Oregon State Air Force ROTC draws more freshmen scholarships than any other AFROTC unit in the nation and has had over 1,000 officers commissioned. In 1977, two graduates of the OSU AFROTC became the first women pilots in the Air Force.[81] Today, the Army and Air Force ROTC programs at the University share the McAlexander Fieldhouse.

The Valley Library

In 1999, OSU finished a $40 million remodelling of the campus library. Known as the Valley Library, the totally remodelled building was selected by The Library Journal as their 1999 Library of the Year, the first academic library so named.[82]

In its rankings for 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked Oregon State University tied for 139th nationally, tied for 71st top public and tied for 58th "most innovative" university in the U.S., and tied for 277th best globally.[83]

In its 2016 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) ranked Oregon State University's Environmental Science & Engineering program 20th in the world, its Electrical & Electronic Engineering program was ranked in the top "151-200" positions worldwide, while its Materials Science & Engineering program was ranked among the top "301-400" international programs.[84]

Moreover, the agriculture and forestry subject at Oregon State University ranks 23rd in the world (9th in the U.S.), according to QS World University Rankings in 2019.[85]

In 2012, ECONorthwest conducted an economic impact analysis that found that each year OSU has a $2.06 billion economic footprint. $1.93 billion of this total was in the state of Oregon.[86][87]

The Associated Students of Oregon State University (ASOSU) is the officially recognized student government at Oregon State University and represents all students in campus affairs and at community, state and federal levels regarding issues that directly influence the quality of and access to, post-secondary education.

In accordance with the university's mission for diversity, many organizations, clubs, and departments have been formed, including the Office Of Community and Diversity[102] and several cultural and resource centers.

Oregon State University has several cultural centers aimed at promoting diversity and supporting students of color, including the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, Native American Longhouse, Asian & Pacific Cultural Center and the Centro Cultural César Chávez.

In addition to its mission of ethnic diversity, Oregon State University supports its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population with a Pride Center.

OSU has several notable faculty members including:

• Bernard Malamud
• George Poinar, Jr., entomology professor whose work extracting DNA from insects fossilized in amber was the inspiration for the novel and film Jurassic Park
• William Appleman Williams, historian.
• Ernest H. Wiegand, inventor of the modern Maraschino cherry
• Pat Casey, baseball coach who was named Coach of the Year by several publications in both 2006 and 2007 when he led the baseball team to back-to-back national championships
• Slats Gill, former OSU basketball coach and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Corinne Manogue, physicist
• Tevian Dray, mathematician
• Ralph Miller, former OSU basketball coach and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Dana Reason, Director of the Popular Music Studies Program and acclaimed Canadian pianist and composer
• Craig Robinson, former OSU head basketball coach and the brother-in-law of President Barack Obama.

Oregon State University has numerous nationally and internationally famous alumni who have contributed significantly to their professions. Among over 200,000 OSU alumni, scientist and peace activist Linus Pauling may be the most famous.[111] Pauling is the only recipient of two unshared Nobel Prizes, awarded in the fields of chemistry and peace.[82][112]

In arts and entertainment, alumni include:

• Trevor Bardette, actor
• Geffrey Davis, poet
• Harley Jessup, production designer, art director
• Cathy Marshall, news anchor
• George Oppen, Pulitzer Prize winner
• Jodi Ann Paterson, model
• Mike Rich, screenwriter
• Travis Rush, country music singer
• Lee Arden Thomas, architect who designed the OSU Memorial Union.
• Sara Jean Underwood, model, actress

In the business world, some OSU alumni hold or have held prominent positions in various industries such as the following:

• Thomas J. Autzen, plywood manufacturing pioneer and namesake of the University of Oregon's Autzen Stadium
• Mercedes Alison Bates, the first female officer of General Mills and former vice-president of its Betty Crocker Cooking division
• Peggy Cherng, co-founder of Panda Express
• Jen-Hsun Huang, co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA
• Timothy S. Leatherman, inventor of the Leatherman tool and founder of the Leatherman Tool Group
• Don Robert, CEO of Experian
• Brian McMenamin, co-founder of the McMenamins restaurant/hotel/theater chain
• Bernie Newcomb, co-founder of E*TRADE
• Leonard Shoen, founder of U-Haul
• John A. Young, former president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard

Several notable OSU alumni are associated with the military, including:

Joint Service Review 2015. From left to right; Army ROTC, Naval ROTC, Air Force ROTC.

• Edward Allworth, Medal of Honor recipient
• Marion Eugene Carl, World War II flying ace and USMC Major General
• Elmer E. Hall, World War II Brigadier General, USMC
• John Noble Holcomb, Medal of Honor recipient
• Anthony E. Van Dyke, commander of Marine forces at Henderson Hall and Colonel of the USMC
• Ulysses G. McAlexander, Commander of Army ROTC from 1907-1911 and again from 1915-1917. Earned the nickname "Rock of the Marne" during World War I. Helped with the construction of the Memorial Union and received an honorary doctorate from the university in 1930.

In politics, notable alumni include the following:

• Cecil Andrus, former Governor of Idaho and United States Secretary of the Interior
• Rod Chandler, former U.S. Representative
• John Ensign, former U.S. Senator
• John Hubert Hall, former Governor of Oregon
• Julia Butler Hansen, former U.S. Representative
• Douglas McKay, former Governor of Oregon and U.S. Secretary of the Interior
• Norris Poulson, former U.S. Representative
• Frederick Steiwer, former U.S. Senator
• Lowell Stockman, former U.S. Representative
• Jolene Unsoeld, former U.S. Representative
• Mary Carlin Yates, former U.S. Ambassador to Burundi and Ghana
• Kevin Cameron, former U.S. Representative

Notable science and engineering alumni include:

• Douglas Engelbart, winner National Medal of Technology, known for computer mouse and Mother of all Demos.
• Paul H. Emmett, staff of the Manhattan Project
• Milton Harris, founder of Harris Research Laboratories and former chair of the Board of Directors of the American Chemical Society
• Sara Harris, climate scientist and 3M National Teaching Fellow at the University of British Columbia
• Wayne L. Hubbell, Jules Stein Professor of Ophthalmology at UCLA
• Donald M. Kerr, wildlife biologist and founded the High Desert Museum
• Linus Pauling, only winner of two unshared Nobel prizes, chemist known for advancing the theory of the chemical bond and the concept of ortho-molecular medicine.
• Stephen O. Rice, a pioneer in the related fields of information theory, communications theory, and telecommunications
• Earl A. Thompson, inventor of the manual transmission synchronizer in 1923 and leader of the team at General Motors Corporation that developed the first Hydramatic automatic transmission in 1940.
• William Tebeau, first African-American male graduate, Chemical Engineering, 1948, namesake of William Tebeau Residence Hall

Oregon State athletes have had a significant showing in professional sports, including more than 15 MLB players, more than 20 NBA players and more than 130 NFL players.[113][114][115]

• Ben Carter (born 1994), American-Israeli basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League
• Colby Covington, professional Mixed Martial Artist, former UFC interim Welterweight Champion[116]
• Derek Anderson, NFL Pro Bowler
• Terry Baker, Quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner in 1962
• Brent Barry, former NBA player
• Nathan Coy, mixed martial artist, former Maximum Fighting Championship Welterweight Champion
• Jacoby Ellsbury, two-time World Series champion and current Yankees center fielder
• Dick Fosbury, Olympian high jumper and creator of the Fosbury Flop
• A. C. Green, former NBA player nicknamed "Iron Man"
• Les Gutches, NCAA titles 1995 and 1996, 1996 Olympic Team, Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's best college wrestler in 1996, Freestyle Wrestling World Champion, Member of National Wrestling Hall of Fame
• Johnny Hekker, Punter for the Los Angeles Rams[117]
• T. J. Houshmandzadeh, NFL Pro Bowler
• Joni Huntley, first American woman to high jump over 6 feet (1.8 m)
• Steven Jackson, Running back, NFL Pro Bowler and currently a free agent
• Chad Johnson, former NFL wide receiver/Pro Bowler
• Gary Payton, 2006 NBA champion, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and 9-time NBA All-Star
• Gary Payton II, NBA guard, currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Son of Gary Payton[118]
• Robin Reed, undefeated amateur wrestler
• Tracy Smith, 1968 U.S. Olympic team, 10,000 meters; world-record holder, 3-mile; 6-time AAU national champion
• Sean Mannion, Quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings
• Brandin Cooks, Wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams
• Markus Wheaton, Wide receiver for the Chicago Bears
• Bill Wold, basketball player for the Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball team in the Israeli Basketball Premier League

Other notable alumni include:

• Stacy Allison, First American woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest
• Pamela Cytrynbaum, journalist and restorative justice practitioner
• William Oefelein, NASA astronaut
• Hüsnü Özyeğin, Turkish billionaire businessman, philanthropist
• Jodi Ann Paterson, Playboy Playmate of The Year
• Donald Pettit, NASA astronaut
• Sara Jean Underwood, Playboy Playmate of The Year
• Shivali Kadam, Miss Oregon 2019